Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The Social Media Bill, 2025, has been presented in the National Assembly.
During a meeting of the National Assembly on Sunday, Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Prithvi Subba Gurung, presented the bill. Gurung said that the Bill aims to promote social harmony, cultural tolerance and good governance by ensuring responsible and accountable use of social media platforms by both operators and users.
The Bill, however, has drawn criticism with many saying that the Bill undermines people’s fundamental rights to expression guaranteed by the constitution.
Earlier, National Assembly Chairperson Narayan Prasad Dahal informed the house that no objections to the bill had been received.
The government had registered the Bill in the National Assembly on January 28, recognizing the need to regulate, standardize and secure the use of social media.
The Bill requires companies, firms and institutions wishing to operate digital platforms to obtain an operating license, renew the license and comply with the conditions set for license holders. It states that officials can impose bans on platform operations, issue directives to remove content from social media platforms and enforce rules that social media users must adhere to.
Additionally, the Bill includes provisions to prohibit cyberbullying, stalking, ID hacking, sextortion, the dissemination of obscene, false or misleading content, the uploading or sharing of deepfake videos, and the creation of anonymous or pseudonymous identities.
According to the Bill, if a license holder disseminates or facilitates the dissemination of content that disrupts the country’s peace, security, harmony, sovereignty, geographical integrity, national security, national unity, independence, or dignity, or content that is against national interests, their social media platform license can be revoked. Furthermore, if the stipulated conditions are not met, the platform’s operations can be suspended.
Similarly, social media users are prohibited from engaging in activities that harm others’ dignity or reputation, such as using insulting words, creating audiovisual content or images with the intent to humiliate, using abusive or hate speech, spreading false or misleading information, manipulating information for dissemination or advertising, and trading items prohibited by existing laws.
If a social media user posts, shares, likes, reposts, live streams, subscribes, comments, tags, uses hashtags or mentions others with malicious intent, they can be fined up to Rs 500,000.
The government is insisting that the implementation of this law would enhance information security and privacy of personal details in electronic form in Nepal. Likewise, it would establish necessary legal and structural arrangements for cybersecurity.
Stakeholders, however, have criticized the Bill. Organizations such as the Federation of Nepalese Journalists have opposed it, arguing that it restricts freedom of speech. They have demanded that the government ensure the constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of expression while introducing the bill.
